Electricity
by SoulMalady
Summary: A not-so-chance encounter helps merge two worlds, all because of one spark between Edward Cullen and a mysterious young man.
1. Preface

**Prologue**

Edward pulled the lapel of his jacket up to shield his face from the wind as well as lingering gazes. He almost never made trips down to big cities; so being in the middle of bustling streets was new. His siblings Alice and Jasper walked ahead of him hand-in-hand. She never had qualms with being around humans. Jasper used his wife as an anchor to control his thirst. But it wasn't thirst that bothered Edward. He had gotten over that a long time ago with the help of Carlisle and Esme. Scent no longer drove him wild. But the thoughts that filtered into his mind did. He kept his head down, slid his hands into his pockets, and focused on his feet, counting his steps as they made their way to the professional building at the corner of the street. Cars and buses rolled along beside them and they walked through the afternoon crowd that hurried to get off of the chilly pavement and to their lunch meetings. He could hear Alice and Jasper carefully speaking about what to do after their talk with their lawyer. She had big plans, including walking around the avenues to look at boutiques. Jasper seemed to be trying to gently ease her away from that so that they could go home as soon as their appointment was over. Alice usually won, however.

They arrived at the large glass building with a couple of minutes to spare. Alice's heels clicked on the marble as she walked through the door, pulling Jasper along behind her. Edward, still counting his steps, stepped in to feel pummeling and welcome heat in the foyer. He reached behind him to keep the door open.

Sudden sharp pain in his fingers caused him to recoil in fright.

He glanced over his shoulder reflexively.

The door closed between him and a young man standing on the other side, half-turned. He wore a dark suit, an unbuttoned grey pea coat over it, and a hastily wrapped red scarf. When he looked up, his shock of coal-black hair and searching expression was most apparent.

Their eyes met for a moment.

Upon reading his mind, Edward reached up to fold his lapel down, revealing his face.

The man's smile was abrupt and almost unconscious. He shuffled his feet while rubbing his tingling hand against his jacket sheepishly before turning away and disappearing into the afternoon crowd.

Edward looked down at his fingers, sliding his thumb over the strange warmth. He had forgotten about pain until now.

"Psst."

He directed his attention to his sister who stood by the reception desk. She smirked at him and arched a brow. It took him a second to figure out what she meant.

When he finally did, he grimaced.

_This_ was why she had wanted him accompany them to Seattle. She had had a vision. She had seen that young man with the electricity.


	2. Chapter 1

**1.**

He stepped out into the hustle and bustle of a normal weekday in the underground British Ministry of Magic. He slung his faded leather satchel across his shoulder and smoothed his robes that he had loosely draped over his arm, letting the rush of people take him towards the lifts. He only had a short length to travel before getting to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He struggled out of the lift once it had reached the second level. This was one of the few departments that never slept. Hit wizards stood by the break room shooting the breeze before it was their turn to relieve the night crew. A line of drunk goblins were being booked at the front end where two officers were trying to get their charges to stop climbing on top of the chairs and desks. A couple of Aurors walked out of the interrogation room, deep in conversation. Wizengamot employees were heatedly arguing and storming towards the long corridors where rickety cubicles housed administrators and clerks.

His office was near the back of the level, nested against a corner.

He almost never got there until after lunch.

"What's taken you so long? Come here."

He was grabbed by the elbow and jerked to the right towards one of the conference rooms. He didn't even think to complain. The person who was dragging him along was the head of Being Division from the fourth floor, Marv Poole. The heavyset man often reminded him of Dudley. He was bald, had small eyes, a squished nose, and a neck the size of a small tree trunk. His green robe was always undone to reveal his choice of Quidditch jersey of the week. He had stubby fingers, thin lips that were perpetually drawn into a grimace, and a sauntering gait that emanated intimidation. He could care less about how he was handling the Head Auror, much less Harry Potter.

He shoved Harry into the empty and dimly lit conference room, shutting the door firmly behind him. "We've got a situation," he said.

"Good morning to you too," Harry muttered as he accepted the file that was thrust towards him. He set his robe and bag on a chair before leaning against the table while flipping through the report in his hand. "What's this about?"

"Vampires," Marv huffed. "Vampires making vampires. Vampires killing vampires. You won't believe the stuff in there."

Harry was puzzled. He narrowed his eyes and looked up at the agitated man in front of him. "We've never had trouble with vampires before," he remarked.

"You don't understand." Marv shook his head as he moved over to stand by the Auror. He shuffled through some of the parchment in the folder before coming upon the right one. "Here. Read this." He gestured at a highlighted paragraph from what looked to be a copy of a page out of an old book. "Cold devils with hearts of stone/ Blind beauty, never to mourn/ Blood red eyes and gleaming skin/ Undead, invisible, powers within."

Harry tsked. "It's a child's rhyme, Poole."

"Is it?" Marv pulled up another parchment, this one written by hand. "A statement from a witness. A _Muggle_ witness."

Harry read the date. "From eighteen twelve?" he scoffed.

"Just read it, Potter."

"Fine, fine." He scanned the document.

_March 2, 1812_

_I must write this down before dawn breaks, before it is simply a dream. A nightmare. At sunset, I saw the pale devil with my own eyes. She stood by the sickly tree in the courtyard, her sweet face hidden behind a sheer black veil. She was dressed in black. She was in mourning. But her eyes… She has evil in her. Her eyes were gleaming and red, from hell itself. She watched the children. How she watched them play in the grass. I saw the lust with my own eyes. I saw her with my own eyes. Her skin shone in the sun when her hand escaped the shade of the tree. Jewels. Such beauty. No one dared go near her. Many noticed her, but no one spoke to her. And she spoke to no one. She stood as still as marble. The rumors are true. The pale devil has come to take the children. God help us. She is such a terrible beauty._

"Alright." Harry glanced at Marv again. "What else?"

"The photographs."

That piqued his interest. He shuffled past more documents until he felt the thicker photo paper against his fingertips. He pulled the snapshots out from under the other papers.

He paled when he saw the faded pictures of charred remains, brutally segmented and burned in an unmarked forest. "What is this?" he breathed.

"The only way to kill these cold devils is to separate them limb by limb and burn them," Marv murmured. "This is… It's murder, Harry."

"When were these taken?"

"Nineteen twenty."

"I see…"

"You don't," Marv sighed. He massaged his forehead to get rid of the persisting ache behind his eyes. "It is happening again. We received intel that this would happen again. I have done enough research so far. This particular species… They are impossibly strong. They are highly evolved in combat, camouflage, predation, and evasion. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Harry did. "What you said earlier," he realized. "Vampires killing vampires."

"Yes."

He set the folder down and pushed off the table so he could start pacing. Walking helped him think. "Okay. Tell me what you know," he urged Marv.

"The earliest accounts are incredibly vague. There were no methods of recording observations, at least not as easily as it is nowadays. These species live in secret all over the world. They obey laws set by a coven residing in Tuscany, Italy – the Volutri. It is a primitive government. They believe in absolute punishment."

Harry paused. "Absolute punishment?" he echoed.

"It is my belief," Marv continued carefully, "that the Volutri is behind these killings."

"Do they at least hold trials?" Harry exclaimed in disbelief.

"That I have no way to knowing. All I know is that it is brutal and painful and it needs to stop."

"But… we have no jurisdiction in Italy," he mumbled.

"These deaths aren't happening in Volterra. The Volutri moves around the globe when they are summoned. Crimes are rarely committed in Volterra due to the Volturi's strong reach."

"Hmm."

Marv perched on the edge of the table, causing it to creak under his weight. "You also need to understand that these are magical beings who are unregulated by any Ministry _anywhere_ in the world. They must believe themselves to be above the law." He shuddered unconsciously. "I cannot imagine what these vampires have done over millennia. They survive on blood. Imagine the number of people who could have been turned by them. Imagine all the people who died. I just… I don't understand how they have stayed hidden for this long."

"Do you know when and where the punishment will happen?" Harry pressed on.

"My team is compiling the data as we speak. I wanted to keep you in the loop. I want you to be prepared as soon as we have a location. I also wanted to give you what little information we have on these creatures."

"Go on."

"As I have already said, fire is their enemy. Using any fire-based spell _should_ affect them adversely, enough to immobilize them. They supposedly cannot feel any other pain, only heat. You may be able to block their attacks, but stopping them completely with shields is questionable."

"Perhaps heat-laced bindings?" Harry offered.

Marv shrugged helplessly. "I couldn't tell you, Harry. I know next to nothing about these beings. All I know is that they have evolved to look as human as possible and have mechanisms that draw prey to them. Their beauty is described in many texts, as is their scent. They may have the ability to hypnotize other beings. You must refrain from making prolonged eye contact, just in case. And you _must_ stay away from their venom. A bite can either kill or turn you. They will not exercise self-restraint if threatened."

"How many?"

Marv simply shook his head.

* * *

Bella gripped the jagged piece of shale in her newly mended fist, her unblinking eyes flicking between the two battles in front of her – Seth nearly losing to Riley and Edward caught up in a deadly dance with Victoria. They were fighting to protect her. They could die protecting her. She had to do something. Anything.

She fumbled with the sleeve of her thick sweater, jerking it up past her elbow. The scar from the summer before still showed faintly against her stark, pale skin. She had to distract the vampires. How deep did she have to go? She gritted her teeth and pressed the tip of the stone shard against the crease of her elbow. She would worry about the pain later. Now she had to act.

She inhaled sharply to steel herself.

Victoria's concentration slipped upon hearing the human's breath. Her eyes trained on Bella and her lips curled up into a dangerous sneer. Blood would fall.

A single moment of distraction was all Edward had needed.

The dance broke violently as he managed to get a grip on Victoria and swung her outwards against a spruce tree. She struck it with a hard crunch. He blurred towards Seth and Riley, gripping the haggard vampire by the arm and driving a foot into his back. The newborn let out a terrible scream as his back broke. Seth sprang across Bella towards Victoria who had recovered from her blow. The woman with the fiery hair had eyes for Bella and no one else. Her eyes glinted with thirst and rage. Blood would fall. Before Seth could reach her, she coiled and sprang.

Bella was grabbed by the waist and forcibly tugged to the side. The shale slipped from her hand as she was sent sprawling across the ground, away from the fight.

"_Flagrate_," Harry chanted as he pointed his wand at Victoria.

The frightful woman seemed to stop in midair, curling into herself fluidly. Then, with an angry shriek, she fell to the ground, skidding past Harry and Bella while writhing when fire slashed her skin, cutting through her marble exterior. She clawed at her clothes as she tried to push the burning agony away to no avail.

The Auror did not pause. He whipped around to the young girl behind him. "Stay hidden," he rushed. "Don't make a sound. You'll be fine."

"O-okay," Bella gasped out.

He scrambled back, slipping on the pebbles as he struggled to get up to his feet and grip his wand tighter. The wolves… No one had told him about the wolves. His team was struggling. He had to get back to them as soon as-

He froze when he clapped eyes on Edward.

And he was struck without warning.

Edward watched on in horror as Riley threw Harry against the rocks with a hard crunch. "Seth," he breathed out in a panic. "SETH!"

Seth was already leaping at Riley who was screeching from both his pain and Victoria's. The wolf sent the vampire reeling. Sharp teeth snapped at Riley's shoulder and ripped his arm off. He choked on his voice, his fury turning into fear in an instant.

Edward raced to Harry, falling to his knees beside him. There was blood. So much blood. His hands stopped short of the young man's face.

* * *

"_Give me some warning next time. It bloody hurts when you do that."_

* * *

He moved his hands away, digging them into the rocky ground instead.

Harry came to with a pained groan. Everything felt broken. He fluttered his eyes open blearily to stare up at the blurry figure before him. He tried to remember what had happened. He had apparated into a forest. He had immobilized one vampire. And then there was a lot of commotion. And now… He tried to lift his arm to point. "That girl," he slurred. "You've got to-"

"Don't die," Edward begged. "Please don't die."

Harry trailed off. "Die?" he echoed. He tried to blink the blood away from his eyes. "I'm… I… It's okay."

"What?"

"Nothing's going to happen. But that girl, she's about to do something stupid and you've got to stop her. I need to call for backup before my team…" He trailed off again, his forehead creasing as his addled brain started to right itself. "You…" He was finally able to lift his arm. He brought his hand up, reaching forward. "Edward? What are you-"

Edward pulled away. "I have to go," he said distantly. He had to get Bella. He got up and disappeared from Harry's field of vision.

The Auror closed his eyes as he rode on a wave of pain. He could hardly breathe, his right arm killed and he couldn't move his legs. Harsh stone dug into his back, adding to the mounting discomfort. He felt wetness against the side of head. At first he thought it was blood. But then the wetness worked its way down to his cheek and then his chin. With some effort, he moved his neck only to find himself looking straight into a wolf's face. "Ah, shit…"

Seth nudged the wounded man with his nose, trying to make sure he was going to get better. Riley was lying off to the side, stunned from the pain of his first battle. Victoria's screams had died down as well. Upon watching this man and Edward interact, Seth had understood that they knew each other. He felt that Edward would want him to look after this man. So he kept nudging and prodding.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," the man managed to say. "Please stop doing that."

Seth stopped quickly, his spine curving downwards and tail tucking itself between his legs, making him appear chastened. He hadn't meant to hurt the man. He watched the man close his eyes once again. But after a minute of patient waiting, it became apparent to him that the man had fainted. So he started nudging and prodding him once again to revive him.


	3. Chapter 2

"He's going to live, Bella. Jacob Black is healing as I speak. He's fine."

She awoke in an unfamiliar bed.

Edward let out a quiet groan of relief. "Oh, Bella…" He pressed a soft kiss against her lips.

"Edward?" she croaked.

"Yes, I'm here."

She tried to open her eyes against the bright artificial lights. "Jacob is okay?" she wanted to know.

"Yes."

She watched his expression for any signs deception, but he seemed to be telling the truth. The tension in her body vanished almost instantly. She wrapped an arm around Edward's neck and hid her face against his chest. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

"Yes."

Carlisle and Esme then proceeded to tell Bella how Jacob had gotten hurt trying to save Leah from a newborn. He was healing on his own, but he still needed to phase back into a human so the healing process could run smoother. The vampire had crushed one side of his body. But he was a strong shapeshifter.

Bella struggled to sit up. Edward helped her up, pulling at the pillows so she could lean against them. "He'll be back to normal?" she asked.

"Yes, Bella," Carlisle answered. "There is no permanent damage."

She looked about her. The room she was in was small and empty except for the hospital bed, a dresser and a chair. "Where are we?" she hesitated.

The door opened at that moment. Alice poked her head in. "Alright in here?"

"Fine."

She glanced over at Edward, her expression changing slightly into something unnamed. "He's awake," she said.

Bella sat up straighter. "Who? Jacob?" she hurried.

"No, not Jacob," Alice replied with an apologetic smile. "But don't worry about him. He's going to be alright. I can see it. Just give him one night to rest, okay?"

"O-okay. Then… who's awake?"

Edward got up to his feet. "I'll be right back, Bella," he said vaguely. He walked out of the room, closing the door just as he heard her questioning Carlisle and Esme. He glanced at his sister, looking away quickly when he realized that she was staring at him in turn. "I just… I need to see him," he mumbled.

"You don't have to justify yourself," she assured him. "But this is a rather strange turn of events, isn't it?"

In the other wing of the third level, Harry was studiously ignoring Hermione as he sipped on his water through a straw and acknowledged his fellow Aurors who were debriefing him on all that had occurred in the clearing while he was away getting pummeled half to death by a deranged vampire. "The newborns are in our custody," Cooper told his boss. "The holding facility here isn't optimal. Poole's working on getting them transported to our Ministry. They'll get better care there, I believe."

"No word on the Volturi," Bernie added. "They must have gotten spooked when they heard about us. Can't be helped. We were heavily outnumbered. It's a miracle you were the only one who got hurt."

"We were running on limited data," Harry sighed. "I'm going to get an earful from the Minister…"

"Rightfully so," Hermione muttered under her breath. She had arrived at the wizarding hospital in San Francisco as soon as she had heard about the incident. She worked for the Department of Magical Creatures. She had every right to investigate the occurrences of that evening. But mainly she had wanted to make sure Harry was alright. Now that she saw that he was going to get better in no time, she could get mad at him. "What have I told you about planning?" she scolded him. "You know _nothing_ of these creatures, Harry. Shapeshifters and vampires… They are absolutely deadly if not handled properly. You _know_ better! Why didn't you tell me?"

"There was no time," Harry said tiredly. He flicked his bloodshot and bruised eyes at her. "Don't you think I'd have told you if I had the time? We got our information and it was time sensitive. We had to go in with what we had."

Hermione pursed her lips together. She could usually trust Harry's instinct. It's just that she often wished his instincts would point him in a safer direction.

He had already shifted his attention to the two Aurors once again. "The red-haired vampire, she was planning on attacking a human. You need to isolate her. She isn't like the rest of them. She has control."

"Yes, sir."

"And the shapeshifter who was hurt, is he here?"

"He is in La Push," Cooper answered. "His pack insisted on it."

"But what if he's been bitten?" Harry asked incredulously. "Don't take 'no' for an answer." He readjusted the sling around his neck. He looked quite bad with his discolored cheek, bandaged head and a splinted arm. "Watch the pack. I don't want any parties to be left unattended, alright?"

"Yes, sir."

"And there was a girl. Did you find her?" He tried hard to remember what she had looked like. "She was the only Muggle there. Hmm… Brown hair, red sweater, very young."

"Yes, she was brought here by the vampires."

He paused. "Pardon me?"

"The vampires who were protecting her," Bernie clarified.

"Ah…" He frowned and tried to figure out what his peer was telling him. There was something else. Something strange. "Protecting her. I see." What was it?

He looked up past the Aurors at the open doorway.

Edward stood by, raptly examining him from afar.

That's right… Now he remembered.

He cleared his throat and looked back at the Aurors. "Could you give us a minute?" he asked. The two glanced behind them in confusion, becoming even more befuddled upon noticing the vampire by the door. They mumbled their ascents and slowly made their way out, sidling past the young creature after casting wary looks.

Hermione, on the other hand, was mesmerized. She hadn't seen this new species yet. The descriptions given by the Aurors and Hit wizards hadn't been exaggerations. This man had god-like features; from the way he carried himself to his attractive appearance. She had only seen such intense beauty once before, in the Veelas.

Harry beckoned the solemn vampire forward and he complied without saying a word, coming to a halt beside the bed. To say that Harry was surprised would be an understatement. "You're a vampire," he said deliberately.

Edward nodded once.

Harry let out a slow gush of air as he tried to make sense of things in his head. When he saw Hermione staring at Edward as though he were the most interesting specimen she had ever clapped eyes on, he decided to introduce her by saying, "Oh, this is Hermione. She's the friend I told you about. Those books…"

* * *

"_She knows I won't really… you know… walk around and all that. I'm not much of a tourist. So she makes me buy her books from these places. It's her way of getting me out of the hotel room, I guess."_

* * *

"I remember." Edward managed a nod for the woman in grey.

Hermione cocked her head to one side and appeared puzzled. "What are you talking about, Harry?" she wanted to know.

"This is Edward…"

Her eyes went wide as her jaw slackened.

Edward shifted his weight uncomfortably and wrenched his eyes away from her to look at the bandaged man. "Are you alright?"

"Were you worried?"

"Yes."

Harry smiled at the plain answer. "I see." He supposed anyone would be surprised to see him alive and well after the injuries he had sustained mere hours earlier. "Why didn't you kill me?" he asked, keeping a firm gaze on the vampire. Upon seeing the initial shock and subsequent confusion, he had his answer. "You don't kill humans?"

"I… No… My family, we… we don't take human lives," Edward explained haltingly. "We survive on animals."

"And you were protecting the girl?"

"The girl… Yes. Bella."

"Can you tell me what happened, Edward?"

He nodded with some trepidation and began. He spoke about Victoria's first meeting with Bella and James' interest in tracking the human who had befriended vampires. The story spanned over a year. He told Harry how James had lured Bella away from protection, tortured her and nearly killed her. The Cullens had to stop him the only way they knew how – by dismembering and burning him. Victoria's fury at learning about her mate's demise had driven her wild with rage. She had created an army of newborns to distract the Cullens while she finished the job for James. That was when the Aurors found them.

Harry was amazed by the long and confusing tale. What was this alien world with no rules and ancient magic? "You killed him? You are willing to kill?" he asked in disbelief.

Edward struggled to understand Harry's tone of voice. It seemed to be a mix of revulsion and wonderment. "You must understand," he said carefully, "that the only way to stop my kind is to destroy the body. We are immortals. The only ones who can stop us are ourselves." Then he paused. "Until now…"

"And the Volturi?"

"What about them?"

"They are your law?"

Edward did not know how to answer that. "Law? No… They are powerful," he murmured. "More powerful than any other coven. They try to create order. But the law? I haven't thought about it."

Harry had many thoughts running through his mind at that point. There was so much to do. He had to send reports back to his office as soon as possible. Marv had to look at the data and compile it for Kingsley. The Aurors would need to interview all members of the conflict and take statements. The newborns needed to be properly sedated and helped through their transition. And, most importantly, they needed to learn more about the structure of a vampire coven.

"You stopped her with fire," Edward recalled. "That was magic?"

"Hmm, yes."

"Are you a big deal?"

Harry looked up at him in amusement. "Pardon me?"

"It's just something you said back there. 'It's okay. Nothing will happen.' Remember?"

"I was pretty out of it."

"So then you _are_ a big deal, right?"

"Well… Yeah… Guess I am."

Edward had thought so. He looked over his shoulder when he heard a faint voice in his head. It was Alice calling to him. "I need to go now," he said, reluctance coloring his voice.

Harry watched Edward walk to the door with soundless footsteps. Vampire. So strange. "Who is she?" he asked abruptly. "That girl you were protecting. Bella. Who is she?"

Edward paused, keeping his eyes downturned. Bella. "My fiancée," he replied quietly.

"Oh."

Not a second passed after the door closed when Hermione plopped down on the edge of the bed and grabbed Harry by the shoulders, digging her nails into him. "_That_ was _Edward_?" she squeaked. "How did he-What did you-Why would you-I don't believe this! He's a vampire! That was _Edward_!"

"I didn't know," he distractedly mumbled.

* * *

Bella stood by the window, alone and in quiet contemplation of all that had happened in such a short while. Her heart ached when she saw Jacob's twisted expression in her mind. She had hurt him. She had toyed with him and then pushed him away. Now he was broken from a battle that he didn't even have to fight. How could she have been so selfish? She rested her warm forehead against the cold windowpane, holding back her tears by squeezing her eyes shut. She wanted to go to La Push. She had to see Jacob again. She needed to be there when he woke up.

"Ready to go, Bella?" Esme called out from the doorway.

She quickly pushed down the lump in her throat. Now was not the time. She didn't want to hurt Edward as well with her emotions. She put on a blank expression and turned to walk out the room. "Esme, I… Thank you for everything."

Esme wrapped Bella in a long hug. "It isn't your fault, love," she hummed. "You have nothing to worry about anymore. It's over now."

"I know." Bella quickly wiped her tears away. "What did the doctors say?"

"You're fit as a fiddle."

"Good news." She attempted a smile.

"Let's go home. Charlie must be wondering about you." Esme gently urged Bella forward.

Alice skipped over to her, winding an easy arm around her waist and pulling her close. "We'll get you all cleaned up," she said happily, "and then send you straight home. Carlisle is at La Push already. He is helping Jacob. If Charlie asks, he's had a motorcycle accident, okay?"

"Okay." Bella looked at Roslie and Emmett, both of whom nodded in unison. She also looked for Edward, but he wasn't there. "Where's-"

"He went with Carlisle," Alice answered before she could get the question out. "We'll meet them in Forks, hmm?"

"Okay, good." She stared at the strange people walking past them in the green corridors wearing long white robes and carrying glass vials. She tried not to ogle at some of the patients who were being floated into rooms on levitating stretchers. Carlisle and Esme had attempted to explain the situation to her, but the logistics had yet to sink in. She was in a magical hospital. She wasn't quite sure _why_ she had been brought here. She was simply glad to leave behind the nightmarish night she had had.

She slowed to a halt when she saw a familiar face in one of the rooms.

Harry chomped on the end of a licorice wand as he paced the length of his hospital room while rapidly reading the accounts his team had written on the fight at the clearing. He had to make sure that everyone's memories served them right. He had yet to write his own report but having a broken right arm wasn't helping his case. In fact his bruised head, crushed ribs, and newly mended back weren't pleasant either. Working took his mind off of pain, so that's exactly what he was doing when a hesitant knock sounded at his open door.

He looked up to find Bella watching him.

He bit a little too hard on the licorice, causing it to break off in his mouth and the long end to tumble out. He fumbled to catch it before it fell, forgetting for a moment about his shattered arm. He hissed in pain as he jolted his body unnecessarily, causing papers to flutter out of his hand and onto to the ground, the slobbery licorice wand landing atop them.

He simply stared down at the mess in dismay.

Bella got there quicker than he could kneel. She started rapidly shuffling the papers together. "S-sorry," she stammered. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's fine," Harry grunted as he got down on his good knee and helped her clean up. He grabbed his licorice and stashed it in the pocket of his hospital pajamas before taking the parchments out of Bella's hands. "Just a bit on edge today, that's all."

"I-I wanted to thank you," she said. "You got hurt."

"Happens quite often." Harry struggled to get back up, so Bella helped him out. "How about you? Are you hurt?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine."

"That's good."

Bella didn't know what else to say. "I'm… going back home now," she remarked lamely.

"Then I'll see you there," Harry told her.

Her brows bunched up. "Oh? You're coming up to Forks?"

He snorted in derision. "It's a very interesting town," he noted. "Of course I'm coming up there. I've got to figure this mess out, don't I?"

"Oh… O-okay. I'll see you later then…"

"It's Harry Potter."

"Hmm. I'll see you later, Mr. Potter. I'm Bella Swan."

"Yes, I know."

"Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

**A/N:** So this is getting to be a more interesting story as I write. For some reason, Edward is coming off as the 'younger' character in comparison to Harry. That doesn't happen often in my writing. Hope you enjoy flustered Edward and put-together Harry. Thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews!


	4. Chapter 3

**3.**

"You had to be there, man," Quil jabbered on excitedly. "One of those guys shot off this blue lightning thing and he got _two_ of the leeches in _one_ go. It was _way_ cool."

"For sure," Embry agreed without hesitating. "Then this chick was shouting these weird words and it was like bullets, but it came out of this little stick in her hand. Whenever she hit one of them, they would go down for a second. Like diversions, you know?"

Seth let out a despondent sigh and sagged against the lumpy couch. "I miss all the fun stuff," he grumbled. "The guy who came didn't get to do much. I mean, I thought he had gotten pummeled to death by that other leech. It was pretty gross. I think he knew Edw-"

He was interjected by the sound of the doctor coming down the stairs. The shapeshifters who were crowded inside the Black residence quickly stood up. Jacob was upstairs in his room, doped up on painkillers and snoring loud enough to cause a tremor in the house. Carlisle didn't show his tenseness as he walked right in the middle of the pack. "Jacob is improving very rapidly," he told everyone with practiced calmness. "His bones are setting well. I wasn't sure how much codeine to give him considering his nature, but he isn't feeling much pain. He should be waking up in a little while. Please make him rest." He cast a meaningful look around.

Once the vampire doctor had left, the house grew loud as the shapeshifters talked over each other in an attempt to recreate the battle with words. Billy had long since given up on making them stay quiet. If his son could sleep through this, then he certainly was one of a kind.

They weren't expecting any visitors, so when the doorbell rang at ten in the morning, they were surprised.

When Billy opened the door and saw three strangers at his doorstep, he was even more perplexed.

"Can I help you?" He tilted his head politely.

"Are you Mr. Black?" Harry asked while fishing out his credentials. When Billy answered positively, a badge was flashed in his face quickly. "I'm Harry Potter from the British Ministry of Magic, Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Then he gestured behind him. "This is Cooper Langill, also from my department, and Hermione Granger from the Deparment of Magical Creatures. We are here to speak to your son and the rest of the pack about last night's incident."

Billy gaped at the three Ministry officials. "I see… British law enforcement, did you say?" he faltered.

"We were the first responders," Harry explained. "You will eventually be dealing with the American Ministry, but it was my team that was out there last night. I need to speak with the shapeshifters, Mr. Black."

"Let them in."

Billy looked back at Sam who stood by the staircase. The tall man betrayed no emotion on his face and his stance was defensive. He hadn't spoken much since Jacob got hurt. Right now, he had to protect his pack. He also had to find out more about these strange men and women who had materialized out of thin air in the forest in the middle of battle. "Let them in, Billy," he said again before turning around and walking back to the living room that had become silent.

Billy rolled his wheelchair back, letting the three guests through.

Over a dozen dark brown eyes were trained on them when they entered the room. First thing the Ministry officials noticed was the size of these men. Most of them stood over six feet tall and had unnaturally heavy muscles that was barely hidden by their oversized t-shirts and shorts. All of them had the same wary look and appeared tensed up, just like their pack alpha.

All of them, except for one.

"No way!" Seth gasped in wonder. "You're all better?" He jumped up to his feet and got to Harry in two strides. "Whoa…" He poked at the man's arm and stomach to make sure.

Harry, on the other hand, had moved back several paces and was backed against the wall with his hands stretched out in front of him to stop the strange boy as best he could. "What are you doing?" he asked suspiciously.

"Remember me?" Seth peered at him without pretense. "From yesterday?"

His expression slackened in wonderment. "Wha-But… That was _you_? You're so young!" he exclaimed. He was quick to study Seth's face. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

He breathed out in dismay. "What were you doing up there? You could have gotten yourself killed."

"Nah," Seth waved him off. "I'm fine. See? Besides, I couldn't just leave Bella and Ed-"

Sam cleared his throat, stopping the conversation. "Sit down, Seth," he said, his voice both quiet and authoritative. It was awfully evident who the leader was. The young boy complied without arguing, scampering away after smiling apologetically at Harry. He wedged himself between Brady and Collin. Sam turned his unimpressed glare at the guests. "Go on," he murmured.

* * *

Edward lay on the rug of his room. Music surrounded him, pouring out of the hidden speakers in all corners. His arm thrown was over his eyes so that he would be forced to stare into darkness. How long had it been? He felt a stirring in his chest. Alice was being careful around him right now. She had seen something that she didn't want him to know. Did it have anything to do with Harry?

* * *

"_If I asked you to stay for one more day…"_

* * *

He clenched his teeth. What did this mean? The two of them were never supposed to meet again…

* * *

"You're going to tag us like we're some sort of cattle?" Paul growled in disgust. The rest of the pack voiced their general outrage in an incoherent murmur.

Hermione held her hand up. "Not cattle," she assured them. "You are people with magic, just like me. I have a personal account with the Ministry. They have a record of my address for mailing purposes, some banking information when I use the wizarding bank, features of my wand, and such. It is like a non-Magic government." She folded her legs. "Now, the _advantage_ of registering with the Ministry is that you will receive proper aid and benefits that cater to your needs as magical beings. For example, in the case of disturbances such as the ones from last night, you will be able to summon magical law enforcement officers for protection. You will not have to fight on your own if you are being wronged. You will also be able to access medical care that specializes in magical ailments. You will have increased support. And since you are part of both the non-magic world and the magic world, you have the best of both worlds, like myself."

Seth was confused. "But didn't you just say that you're magical too?" he asked Hermione for clarification.

"Well, in a sense I am." The witch smoothed her skirt down unconsciously. "Yes, I am able to perform magic. But my parents are not like me. They are regular people in the non-magic world. So I have a life with them and one in the magic community. Do you see what I'm getting at?"

Now the murmurs were more accepting and thoughtful. The pack liked the idea of a new world filled with strange magic. With Jacob recovering upstairs, they were starting to realize that they weren't as invincible as they had thought.

"What did you do with the vampires?" Sam inquired. "The Cullens called them newborns. They said the only way to protect the town was to kill these newborns."

Harry shook his head gravely. "We have never condoned violence or senseless murder. The newborns are safe. They are dangerous and need to be rehabilitated. That's yet another thing the Ministry does. With incidents such as vampire or werewolf infection, there are programs that deal with psychological and physiological changes that the individual will see over the course of their life. They will be taught to live without harming others." He swept his stern eyes over the young group of men. "You must understand that you are not above this law. There are no charges against you for this incident because of circumstances. But if there are any reports of violence towards any species, it will not be tolerated by the Magical Law Enforcement officers. Understood?"

Sam nodded absently. "That's fine. Order is important." He sat forward with this forearms resting against his knees and his fingers entwined in front of him. "Then don't you agree that what the Cullens are doing is dangerous?"

The guests glanced at each other in confusion.

"They are going to turn Bella," he told them.

Hermione frowned abruptly as Harry and Cooper sat up in shock. "Pardon?"

Sam nodded. "Why do you think we are so opposed to this?"

"Hmm…" Hermione looked over to her friend who was staring at the pack leader plainly. "She _wishes_ to be turned?"

"She's not in her right mind," Billy muttered gruffly.

"I see…"

There were a handful of instances of voluntary infection in the history of magic. Hermione was aware of this. But those cases occurred centuries ago. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention," she responded diplomatically.

* * *

"Bella, there's something I…"

Her brows knit together when she noticed the unusual tone in Edward's faint words. "What's wrong?" she asked nervously.

Edward stared out the window of her room, looking up at the clear night sky that he could see through the branches. "You went to see Jacob today," he murmured.

Bella swallowed hard. She had done so. And it had been painful to see him that way. It had been even more painful to speak with him, to hear his hurtful accusations and pleading. She steeled herself with a shaky breath. "Yes, I… Yes."

"How is he?"

She swiftly flicked her eyes at him. "What?"

"His wounds. Are they healing?"

"Y-yes." She tilted her head in puzzlement. "Hey." She rested her hand atop his. "Are you alright?"

"Bella, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Okay. What?"

She was startled when he turned to face her because his expression betrayed a certain… vulnerability that she wasn't used to seeing. She reached up to caress his cheek. He responded by leaning in and resting his forehead against hers while closing his eyes. "I should have told you…" He trailed off. "I didn't think this was important…" He too raised his hand and slid it onto her neck. "I love you," he whispered.

Bella was faint as her heart raised. The smooth flow of his words had always undone her. She tilted her head to press her lips against his. The way he felt against her, his solemn sincerity, the stillness of his body, it always undid her.

And as he bore into her, she sank into her bed.

* * *

_He sank into the pillows and slid a leg up, planting his foot against the rustled sheets. His breath came in ragged spurts and sweat beaded against his overheated skin. He swallowed to wet his throat. His eyes fluttered rapidly as he tried to get his bearings._

_And then…_

_He started laughing helplessly. _

_He threw a tired hand over his eyes and mumbled, "Damn it, you're rough."_

_Edward parted his lips when an uninhibited kiss was forced onto him. Harsh breath fell against his cheek. Warm sweat stuck to his own skin. Strangled moans passed between them. His hands skimmed the warm body under him, feeling each inch with an almost rabid hunger. He knew he was being rough. He didn't care if he was being rough._

* * *

Edward pulled away quietly. That memory. It had been like a dream. He stared down at Bella who was returning the same inquisitive gaze. Why now?

Bella sat up when Edward made no move to return to their kiss. "Something's wrong, isn't it?" she murmured with hesitance. "You won't tell me what's wrong, will you?"

Edward's distant expression flickered away. "I need to go, Bella." He slid off of the bed unsteadily. "Sleep. I'll pick you up in the evening." Then, without waiting for a response, he climbed out the window and landed lightly on the ground before blurring away.

* * *

"Come on, don't do that. Don't cry." Harry folded an arm against his chest and sighed. In his other hand was a cell phone and he was pacing the sidewalk outside the quaint inn where he was staying. "I _swear_ I'm fine. Don't you believe me?" He stopped for a second, listening intently. Then he sighed again and continued walking. "Well, it's not like last year. I promise. Don't I sound alright? Don't cry anymore, okay? Mhm… Yes, of course… I'll tell her… But just so you know, she's already pretty mad at Daddy right now… Yeah, I figured you'd be happy to hear that, you little brat." He chuckled with some relief. "I love you too. Now give the phone to your brother before he breaks your head, will you?"

There was a mild scuffle on the other end. He smiled fondly when he heard the sounds of children in the background followed by a quiet voice. "Hey," he murmured back. "No, I'm _fine._ Goodness, what's Hermione been telling you guys, huh? Hmm, I miss you too… I know. It's just a lot of work down here. No fun at all. Yeah. I know… Mhm… Yes, I heard. Must be riot over there. So? I also heard a little something from Ron..." He sat down on the small separating wall, one arm locked and resting against the rough cement as he stared down at his shoes absently and nodded. "Well, aren't you a natural? What did Mum think? Mhm... Oh, I bet she was. Too bad I missed it, huh? Must have given your grandmother a heart attack… Don't know why I'm surprised."

He was interrupted by a soft tap against his shoulder. He glanced up at Cooper who was motioning for him to get back to his room. He nodded quickly and waved. Cooper nodded once before turning on his heel and traipsing back inside. Harry tsked once. "Listen, bud, I-No, I'm sorry, I have to go back to work now. I know, I'm sorry," he apologized. "But I'll call again tomorrow. Same time, yes, same time. And tell Rosey that Hermione's working me to bone here. Mhm… I'll let you know about things later. Hopefully we'll have more time to talk, right? I'll-Yes, I'll bring over some cool stuff. _Yes_, for everyone. Sheesh… Mhm… I have to-No, listen… Teddy, listen. I _really_ have to go. I love you. Say hi to everyone. Give Mum, James and Al a _big_ hug from me. Bye. Yeah, have fun. Bye."

He sighed as he pulled the phone away and clicked it off. His kids sure knew how to talk his ear off. He got up with a tired groan, stretching his aching back while yawning. Another long night. He shook off the pain in his head before walking back to the foyer of the inn.

Edward ran his fingers through his hair and leaned against the damp bark of the spruce he was hidden behind. Kids. Wife. He closed his eyes. Of course. It's been so long. Nearly ten years.

* * *

"_I love you."_

_Harry stilled and glanced down. "Oh?"_

_Edward nodded solemnly._

_So Harry smiled with ease and leaned forward until their noses brushed against each other. "Hmm. I'm sure you do."_

* * *

What had he expected?


	5. Chapter 4

**4.**

"Are we expecting company?"

Carlisle and Esme looked up from their private conversation to find Edward at the door. "I'm sorry for the oversight, Edward," the doctor apologized "It's regarding the-"

The doorbell rang, interrupting him.

Edward unconsciously brought a hand to his stomach before blurring out of the dining room and sliding to a halt at the foyer where he wrenched open the door.

Harry started and stepped back. "Oh." When he saw the vampire standing in front of him, he smiled. "Waiting by the door, were you?" he murmured.

Edward flicked his eyes over at Hermione who was beside Harry. "I… Y-yes," he answered. "Um, please come in." He stepped back to let the guests inside.

Hermione was waved in first by Harry. "Thank you," she said. She was still marveling the lovely location of the home. "You have a wonderful home."

"Hmm. It's Esme and Carlisle's doing," Edward replied before she could finish, forgetting for a slight moment that he shouldn't be answering her thoughts, only her voice. "They're just around the bend in the dining room."

If Hermione was alarmed by the quick response to an exclamation she hadn't properly made, she didn't show it. She slunk away to leave the men to their conversation. She had already noticed the intense look on Edward's face when he had faced Harry. She knew she wasn't needed.

Harry, on the other hand, was too intrigued by the strange ivory figurines on the credenza to even realize that he had been abandoned. "These are weird," he mumbled as he picked up the sculpture of an ox with an enormous head and a malnourished body that showed ribs and spine and all. "I bet you guys collect a lot of weird stuff, huh? Traveling." He turned to meet Edward's silence. "Hmm?"

Edward blinked out of his reverie. "Yes, I suppose we do."

"So… How have you been?"

"Fine."

"Congratulations on your engagement."

"Thank you."

Harry continued to look at Edward with purpose.

"What?" the vampire mumbled.

"She's a human."

"I know."

"Are you going to turn her?" Harry asked point blank.

Edward balked.

"She's young," the Auror continued on. "She'll say things. She'll do things. But it'll be foolish to indulge her, Edward. You understand me, don't you? Turning a human is not a decision to be taken lightly."

Edward bristled. "You don't even know the circumstances," he snapped. "And who are you to lecture me about this?"

"It's not a lecture," Harry said quietly. "I just want to make sure she won't resent you after you marry her."

His anger died down in the blink of an eye. He stared at the wizard before him, reading his thoughts. There was no falsehood in that statement. He didn't care that Bella was going to marry a vampire. He only wanted Bella to remain mortal. Now here was a fresh perspective. "I see." He was intrigued. "I'm… Hmm… It's very confusing for me as well," he confessed after a hesitant pause. "But I must respect her wishes."

"I figured," Harry sighed. "Well, this is something you should discuss with her, I suppose." He dug into his pocket. "And I know there's absolutely no one to talk to about these things in this place." He pulled out a small business care and handed it to Edward. "There are a few numbers on here. If you two wish to talk to a support network, they will be more than happy to help."

"Support network?" Edward echoed as he looked down at the card.

Harry smiled sardonically. "It might be hard to imagine, but there are support centers for vampires, you know…"

"That _is_ hard to imagine."

"Although this is the first time we've encountered _your_ type of vampires."

Edward slid the card into his pocket and asked, "Then you've met other vampires?"

Harry nodded. "It's a strange world that I live in," he said. "It's hard not to run into all kinds of people." He shrugged. "Never a boring day."

"And… what is it that you do?"

"Think of us as a higher level police department."

"No." Edward shook his head. "I meant what is it that _you_ do."

"Oh, me. Me personally, you mean?"

"Mhm."

"Um, well…" Harry rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about it. "I'm the head of my team. Not much else. I'm pretty new to the job."

Edward could hear the half-truth, but he didn't press on. He knew all about sensitivity of information and could understand the need for secrecy in a job like this. "When you're not working?" he asked delicately. "What do you do then?"

Harry laughed. "Now we're onto my personal life?"

"I don't mean to prod," Edward lied. His eyes darted down to Harry's hand. There was no wedding ring.

"Then let's keep it private." Harry looked over Edward's shoulder. "We should head in, right?" He sidestepped the vampire and moved towards the dining room. "Are your siblings around?"

Edward mentally chided himself. "Yes, they must be in the dining room." He followed Harry in.

"And I would appreciate it if you would keep our previous encounter to ourselves…"

He murmured in ascent vaguely. He didn't tell Harry that his family already knew. Alice could hardly keep a secret. But they did not know any details and he was going to keep it that way. In fact _he_ didn't know much of the details either, so he couldn't possibly be expected to talk to anyone about it.

The two of them walked in on a quiet conversation. The coven had gathered in the dining room adjacent to the spacious kitchen. Alice and Jasper sat beside Hermione while Carlisle and Esme were opposite her. Emmett and Rosalie leaned against the counter, keeping quiet and simply listening. A sheaf of parchment and a pen sat on the tabletop.

At the arrival of the Auror, the coven looked up to greet him. "Ah, Mr. Potter," Carlisle said with a warm smile. He got up to his feet, which prompted the rest of his family to do the same. "It's a pleasure. I've heard so much about you." He extended his hand.

Harry returned an awkward smile. "Elaborate lies," he joked weakly as he shook the vampire's hand.

"Whatever they may be… I'm Carlisle Cullen." He then gestured to his right. "This is Esme, my wife." Esme shook hands with Harry as well. "And these are Alice and Jasper. Finally Rosalie and Emmett. And you know Edward." Carlisle gestured at the Auror to take a seat by him. "You appear to have mended quite well, I might add."

Harry tilted his head in quiet puzzlement while lowering himself into the chair. "What do you mean?" Edward moved to stand beside Rosalie.

"Mr. Cullen is a doctor," Hermione filled in. "He had helped with your surgery. He just told me."

"Oh, I didn't know," Harry said wondrously. He looked at Carlisle again. "Thank you. Um, yes, I'm fine now. As you can see."

"Hermione was telling us that wizards have hardier bodies than humans with no magic," Esme noted. "I suppose that's evident in your case."

"It would be a lot better to not feel any pain at all," Hermione murmured. The Cullens glanced at her. "You don't feel pain, do you?" she pressed on. "Just heat. Thermal receptors, I'm guessing. I suppose there is no reason for you to feel pain. You cannot die of simple causes. You are highly evolved. Could you tell me more?" She was ready with her pen.

Harry cleared his throat, interrupting her. "Before that…" He shifted in his seat and reached inside his jacket to pull out a few folded papers. "I have to take down your statements. Once it's been compiled, I will be handing the case over to the American Ministry. Since my team was the first to respond, we have agreed to do preliminary assessments." He absently reached across the table and plucked Hermione's pen out of her hand, ignoring her grumpy tsk. "We'll be out of your hair after this," he promised them. He started scribbling on the paper. "Now, I've already spoken with Edward. I simply need all of you to corroborate his account. Let's start with James. I believe he is Victoria's partner."

"Was," Alice corrected.

It took little less than an hour for the Cullens to give their testimony. By then Harry had written himself sore and finally convinced himself that Edward hadn't gone mad. It was a very fascinating tale. But he should expect nothing less considering the fact that he was dealing with magical creatures. Nothing was out of the ordinary when it came to magic. Here were vampires who didn't hurt people, trying to get along with people while protecting these people from other vampires who had no qualms about hurting people. Why not? He's seen stranger things.

He rolled his wrist and nodded once. "I think that settles it." He set the pen down and shuffled the parchments together. "I'll review this with the American Auror team. If there are any more questions, I am sure they will contact you directly. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the attacks, you will be asked to testify in court. But all details will be sent to you in a week or so after booking." He looked up at the coven. "Thank you for your cooperation."

"Of course," Esme said graciously. She then turned to Hermione. "Shall we begin with your questions?"

Harry snorted. "You don't have to indulge her, Esme." He earned a glare from his best friend. "She often forgoes her manners for her work." He looked pointedly back at her, lowering his head in a deliberate motion. "Don't pry."

"It's not prying," Hermione sputtered. "This is research." She reached across the table and snatched her pen back. "If you feel uncomfortable with my methods, then you may go." She snubbed him with a tilt of her nose.

Harry smiled to himself as he sighed and leaned back in his chair with his arms folded. As if he was going to leave her in the midst of seven vampires.

Hermione poised the pen against the parchment. "Thermal receptors," she started where she had left off. "I assume you shy away from heat. But you do not seem to have trouble with the sun."

"It is _excessive_ heat that we shy away from," Esme laughed. "Heat is never a bad thing. And the sun… well, we do not _feel_ any pain, but we do have a peculiar characteristic that makes it hard to be out in the sun." She smiled and shrugged. "Our skin shimmers."

Hermione blinked. "I beg your pardon?" She sat forward, elbows on the table. "Shimmers?"

"Yes. Shimmers. It can be distracting. And attracting."

Harry flicked his eyes over at Edward who had been standing in the same position for the past hour, head down and arms crossed against his chest.

* * *

_He moved his hand slowly across the small beam of light that fell onto the bed from a crack in the thick curtains. His pale skin glistened. He turned his hand, pointing his palm upwards, manipulating the light. Faint glimmers caught his skin and reflected onto the white roof. Warm…_

_Harry reached over and slid his fingers over Edward's. Once hooked together, he brought both their hands in and against his chest before falling asleep again._

* * *

"We have many mechanisms to attract prey to us," Carlisle explained. "Our skin, scent, and movement. We can hear the slightest sound, smell almost every mortal being for a mile, move quicker than the human eye can perceive, and cause harm with the simplest touch."

"Then your senses adapt for the occasion," Hermione murmured as she scribbled as fast as she could.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if you can hear the slightest sound, then you _should_ be going mad," she reasoned. "And if you can smell prey everywhere you go, you wouldn't be able to sit still. Yet here you all are… speaking with me without putting me in danger. Your senses adapt for the occasion." She glanced up. "And you have incredible self-control."

"Important if we wish to live in the company of others," Carlisle said with a modest tilt of his head.

Jasper fidgeted nervously upon feeling waves of thick emotion running through him. Alice reached under the table to clutch his hand, reassuring him that everything was going to alright. He wasn't so sure though. He hazarded a glance at his brother.

Edward still had the same impassive look in his face, but his body was very tense.

As was his mind.

* * *

_He wrapped his arms around Harry and pulled so that they were pressed together chest to back. The sheets rustled above and under them, disturbing the silence. Harry stirred. "Hmm?"_

"_What is it like?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_Dreaming."_

_Harry frowned before trying to bury himself under the plush blankets. "Try sleeping," he grumbled. "Honestly."_

* * *

"So you don't need sleep," Hermione noted down. "Then you don't have a circadian rhythm to follow. I suppose that makes sense considering your endocrine system is vastly different from ours. But you do feel effects of adrenaline, right?"

"We need it to hunt," Carlisle told her.

"Of course." She scratched her chin with the edge of the pen. "And how often do you hunt?"

"Depending on the size of the kill, once every two weeks. Sometimes sooner."

"What do you eat?"

"We drink blood alone. Usually deer. Sometimes bears or mountain lions. We try to kill animals large enough to satisfy our thirst in one hunting session."

"And, if you don't mind me asking, how old are all of you?"

Carlisle exchanged a private smile with his wife. "Well… We are immortals, as you already know," he said. Then he shrugged upon a quiet nod from Esme. "I'm three hundred and forty three. Esme is a hundred and eighty." Then he glanced at Alice to continue on.

"At heart I'm still twenty," she said with an affected sniff. "But I must be around eighty or so. Jasper's a hundred and forty three, I think." Jasper didn't say otherwise, so that's what Hermione wrote down.

Emmett went next. "I'm the newest. Seventy. And Rosalie's about the same. We don't look it, huh?" He winked at Hermione good-naturedly. "Our diet does wonders." He laughed at his own joke.

Hermione shook her head at him while smiling, and then turned to the final member of the coven. "And you, Edward?"

"Hundred and five," he mumbled.

Harry raised his brows in surprise.

"He's actually the youngest of us all," Alice went on to say brightly. "He's just seventeen."

Edward met the puzzled Auror's eyes.

"He's also the fastest. There's no winning when we play baseball."

'Hundred and five?' Harry mouthed. 'Really?'

"_Baseball_?" Hermione exclaimed. "Well, I never…"

"America's favorite pastime and all," Emmett quipped.

Edward responded to Harry's wonder with a weak shrug. His age was almost never a topic of discussion. Not even with Bella.

"He's been with Carlisle the longest," Alice added.

Hermione made a small note. "And how long would that be?" she wanted to know.

"Oh, since Carlisle turned him. That was about ninety years ago, I guess."

Harry looked Edward up and down deliberately, as though trying to find some distinguishing feature that would tell the vampire's real age. Upon finding none at all, he twitched his lips in mild irritation and furrowed his brow.

It made Edward smile.

"And guess what else?" Alice wiggled her shapely brows at Hermione. "He can read minds."

Hermione turned pale. "He can _what_?" she gushed.

Alice touched a finger to her temple. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"You see, Hermione," Carlisle interjected, "all of us have specific powers that have come to light as soon as we changed. These powers are usually something that was noticeable even during our mortal years. For example, Alice can see the future. When she was a human, she had a knack for precognition." He gestured to Jasper. "He is able to sense the emotions in a room and alter it. When he was a human, he was very attuned to the moods of people he was near, so this gift was amplified after he was turned."

"Incredible," Hermione breathed.

Harry was mentally calculating Edward's birth year while continuing to frown at him. It was greatly amusing to watch. Apparently the young wizard didn't like the thought of having spent a night with a nonagenarian. Yet he had had no qualms about Bella. What a strangely hypocritical and expressive man…

"Did you hear that?" Hermione nudged her friend.

"Eh?" Harry blinked out of his arithmetic problem to focus on her. "What?"

"Alice can see the future."

He whipped his attention towards the petite vampire. "You can _what_?"

Alice shrugged modestly. "Just bits and pieces here and there. Nifty ability."

Hermione scoffed. "Nifty. That's one way to put it." She then jerked her thumb at Edward. "He can read minds."

The change in Harry's expression was drastic.

The change in Edward was even more so.

He straightened up in a flash, causing Rosalie and Emmett to start. He was staring at Harry plainly. "How did you do that?"

There was strained silence after his sudden outburst.

Rosalie rested a hand on her brother's shoulder. "Do what?" she asked. "What did he do?"

"I… I can't hear him…"


	6. Chapter 5

**5.**

Hermione looked at Harry incredulously. "Occlumency?"

He didn't answer her. Instead his expression hardened and all traces of playfulness from earlier had disappeared completely. It was a startling change for Edward who, up until then, had had a very slim advantage over the electric wizard. He struggled now to hear the chaotic thoughts in Harry's mind. But he was met with silence. He stared without pretense. "Occlumency?" he echoed. "Is that how you block me?"

"Why are you reading my mind?" Harry asked quietly.

"He can't control it," Rosalie came to her brother's defense almost immediately. She bristled at the accusatory words of the Auror. "He isn't doing it on purpose. He can't stop hearing our thoughts."

Carlisle nodded when he was glanced at for a second assurance.

Even then, Harry didn't relax.

He knew he wouldn't be able to keep the Occlumency up for too long. He had never been good at it. It required intense concentration due to his disorderly mind. A slow ache was already forming against the side of his head.

After the war… After Voldemort, he had rested easy knowing that, if nothing else, his mind was safe for the first time in years. It was the one place he could hide in when he was overwhelmed or overworked. No one could change his visions or see through his eyes. He felt safe with his thoughts.

Edward could read him.

It was a jarring shock.

"Excuse me," he mumbled as he got up off his chair and swept out of the dining room before his mental shield broke. He didn't care that he was making a scene. He had a splitting headache and he felt like he was suffocating. He rushed out the front door, stopping only when he reached the bottom of the stone stairs leading out onto the driveway. There he finally took a deep, clean breath. Then he let go of his Occlumency, freeing his thoughts again. He nearly groaned in relief as the pain dissipated almost instantly. He brought his hands up to massage his temple.

He should have known. He should have realized as soon as he had spoken with Edward. The vampire always seemed to know what to say, when to say it, how to speak… It wasn't charm. He could hear thoughts. Of course he knew the right things to do. He knew what others _wanted_ to hear.

Harry scrunched his hair with a frustrated growl. What had Edward heard? How could he use that information? He was going to chew Poole out; he had said _nothing_ about telepathy! Now who the hell knows what's been compromised.

"Harry?"

He whipped around in fright, a hand reaching into his pocket to grab for his wand.

He froze when he saw Edward standing before him. In an instant, he forced his thoughts away, locking it up.

Edward nearly flinched when he was left alone in his mind. "I'm… I can't stop it," he said. He looked back towards the house. "Hermione told us why you…" He turned to Harry again. "I can't dig through your mind," he tried to explain. "It's… superficial. Just immediate thoughts." He didn't want Harry to panic more than he had to. "Are you worried about what I might have heard?"

Harry breathed evenly. He had to maintain the shield. "Yes, I am most _definitely_ worried about that," he muttered. "What _have_ you heard?"

"About work?"

"Of course about work."

Edward swallowed down some edging disappointment before dutifully telling Harry everything he had gleaned. "You are the Head Auror of the British Ministry of Magic. You are as influential as the Minister of Magic in rank and more influential than him in public standings." He paused when he heard a muted, defeated groan. He was a bit unsure of whether to continue. But Harry waved him on irritably. "Alright," he mumbled while shifting his weight. "You are trying to figure out what the Volutri's next move is. You are concerned about Yvonne because she hasn't come back with any good news about the Volturi. You want to arrange more meetings with us to talk about the Volturi. Most of your thoughts are about the Volturi." Edward pursed his lips. "If you are so concerned about them, please don't hesitate to ask Carlisle. He used to be a part of that coven during his early days."

"Stay on topic," Harry said, his voice straining from the pain that was moving down to his neck from his head.

"You need to stop if it hurts," Edward argued.

"It can't be helped."

"What I hear cannot be helped either."

"I'm dealing with it," Harry snapped. "What else do you know?"

Edward caught his own sharp words. He tried to see things from Harry's point of view. Hermione had told them about her friend's vehement aversion to 'mind games'. But this wasn't a was the only way Edward had interacted with people over the past century. He had heard it all and it had nearly driven him mad. It had taken him many decades to get accustomed to this gift. To have someone despise his ability so wholeheartedly was both unnerving and unsettling.

Alice pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, earning a questioning look from her husband.

"Then you don't care that I could read your mind back then?" Edward blurted out in frustration. He immediately clamped his teeth together to stop his mouth from running off on him again.

He was dismayed when he saw Harry's expression change from anger to bewilderment.

Harry stared at him for a moment before asking, "What?"

"He should just stop talking now," Alice mumbled in defeat.

Unfortunately, Edward wasn't able to stop. "You don't care about before?" he bit out.

Harry was trying to find the right thread to this conversation, in doing so letting his Occlumency slip so that faint thoughts slipped out of his mental shield. "Why are you bringing it up?" he asked carefully. "What does that have to do with this?"

Edward felt his stone heart drop. Harry honestly didn't care… His thoughts were enough evidence. He thought nothing of their first encounter.

That hurt.

Harry jerked back when Edward suddenly disappeared from sight. He whipped around. "Wait… Edward!" He searched the boundary of the forest with his sharp eyes, finding no movement at all. "Edward?"

"Well," Alice sighed again with a tired smile as she got up. "I'll be right back. Damage control." Without waiting for her family to respond, she blurred out of the dining room.

Hermione sank into her chair in embarrassment. "Sorry about this," she mumbled.

Meanwhile, Harry was attempting to figure out what he had said that had made Edward run away. He was still looking at the forest when he felt a brush against his shoulder, prompting him to start and turn around in fright.

Alice was standing before him. "You should go inside, Mr. Potter," she said kindly.

"Edward just-"

"It's fine. He's had a difficult week. I'll go talk to him."

"But I don't know why he-"

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing you did," she lied with ease. And with that, she followed her brother who had, unfortunately, gotten a head start on her.

* * *

Hermione gawked at her best friend after he had relayed the incidents from an hour ago that had led to their hasty goodbyes. Harry sat under her shocked gaze, shrinking as seconds ticked past, realizing that he must have done something wrong. "What?" he finally asked quietly.

"You honestly don't know what happened?" she mumbled.

"Not… really…"

"Harry."

"I had every right to act the way I did," he added, bristling upon figuring out that Hermione wasn't on his side with regards to his reaction. "He can hear my thoughts. Who knows what he might have heard about-"

"That's _not_ what he-Why are you so-He _obviously_ doesn't-Goodness, Harry! How can you be so insensitive?"

"Me?" He stood up abruptly. "What did _I_ say? He's the one rummaging through our heads, saying stuff we want to hear, thinking he can fool anyone. How is this _my_ fault?"

"It's who he is!" Hermione slapped a hand to her eyes. "Imagine being ostracized because you can speak to snakes. Hmm?"

Harry pursed his lips.

"That's what you did, Harry. You went off on him because of something he can't even control. He can't stop hearing our thoughts," she spelled it out. "And, to make matters worse, you just went and told him that what happened before made no difference to you."

"Wh-But it _doesn't_!" Harry argued. "I don't even know why he keeps bringing it up! I'm trying to maintain a professional-"

"He _cares_!" Hermione interrupted him. Harry blinked owlishly at her. "He cares about what happened," she tried to explain. "How could you not notice the way he was staring at you? Imagine how he must have felt when you brushed him off. Why do you think-"

"Well, shit."

"Yeah." She sighed and shook her head at Harry who had slumped his shoulders. "Why do you think he tried so hard to explain himself to you?"

* * *

Edward had worn a path over the two meters he had been pacing for the past hour. That's where Alice found him, deep in the forest. "Don't," he murmured.

"I wasn't going to say anything," she said, innocently sitting down on a fallen log with her hands folded neatly on her lap.

"Don't think."

She shrugged.

Edward went on pacing, arms crossed against his chest and a hand rubbing his chin absently. He kept his eyes on his shoes that were muddy and stained from his run. His mind was clearer now. Alice wasn't helping, however. He tried to shut her out and continue with his train of thought, but after a few minutes of fruitless efforts, he looked up at her. "What?"

"You're got a few choices n-"

"I don't want to make these choices."

"Then shall I make them for you?" Alice winked good-naturedly. For a moment Edward looked tempted to say yes. But he caught himself and glanced away from her. She didn't laugh aloud, to her credit. She simply continued to watch her brother pace. "Does he matter that much?"

"I don't know."

"Do you know _why_ he matters?"

Edward didn't say.

Alice couldn't understand that internal struggle because she had never been in this position before. She had always known that she would find Jasper. There was no mystery or concerns. And, at that moment, she could see Edward's paths as well. She wasn't concerned. Not in the least. All she wanted to do was assure him.

"So whatever I choose is alright," he garnered from her thoughts. "Is that what you see?"

"I'm not saying," Alice teased. "But isn't this a tantalizing adventure? Don't you feel so… _human_?"

"He really hurt me."

"How?"

Edward exhaled shakily. "It's… When I was with him, I…"

"You were only _with_ him for a day," Alice interjected with a sly smirk. "You don't know him. And now you've had more than a few years to romanticize those feelings. Do you think you would feel the same way after _actually_ getting to know him?"

"I-I don't know."

"And you love Bella now, right?"

Edward looked sick. "I do…"

"So?"

"He has a wife, Alice. He has kids and an extraordinary life back home and… it's like that day never happened. Maybe it didn't happen. Maybe I…"

"Maybe you blew it out of proportion?"

* * *

There was a short queue at the coffee shop and Harry was third in line. He was busily typing into his phone, so he didn't notice a presence by his side until a brief moment had passed. Then, sensing something odd, he glanced to his right.

"Oh," he mumbled when he saw Edward. "Um. Good morning…"

"I'm buying," the vampire said without looking at the Auror. "Do you have a few minutes?"

Harry glanced at the phone. About half an hour, he supposed. "Sure."

A little while later, the two of them were seated in a corner, separated by a small round table and one cup of steaming coffee. Harry slid his thumb over the warm cardboard sleeve while watching Edward. He deliberately did not use Occlumency this time. He figured he had done enough damage already. Edward had his head down, however, his eyes firmly set on his clasped hands that he had rested on his knee. Harry couldn't be sure who was more uncomfortable at that moment. It also seemed like Edward didn't know where to begin.

So Harry began for him. "I want to apologize. I was out of line."

Edward took a breath. "This is… difficult," he hesitated. "And I am very embarrassed with my behavior last night. I am sorry as well."

Harry smiled before taking a sip of his coffee. "In answer to your question," he added, prompting Edward to look up at him in surprise, "I guess you reading my mind made that night all the more enjoyable."

If vampires could blush, Edward would be turning pink.

Harry could plainly read his discomfort. He found it very amusing. "Oh? Now you don't want to talk about that?" he joked.

"No, it's not that."

"Then what?"

Edward returned his eyes to his hands, his fingers clenching a bit tighter. "Just… What do you remember from that day?" he wanted to know.

"You aren't looking for the gory details, I presume." Harry earned a glare for his off-color comment. "Okay, guess not." He wondered what exactly Edward wanted to hear. "Well… I remember you kept shocking me," he started off by saying. "And we talked a bit at the bookstore. Walked around downtown because you hate taking taxicabs. That was just a line though, wasn't it?" Edward shrugged in response. "Thought so," Harry murmured. "Hmm. What do you want me to say? Something more profound?"

"Yes," Edward said honestly.

Harry figured that was the least he could do. "It was refreshing." He leaned back and stretched his legs out, crossing them at the ankles. "You didn't know me, I didn't know you. I had never done something like that before. I guess I needed a break from… things."

"What things?"

"Just stuff. Work and all that."

"Hmm."

Harry then looked away after picking up his cup. "You said something strange. I remember that too."

Edward flinched and kept quiet.

"I just brushed it off," Harry recalled. "I thought it was just something you said in the heat of things. And… I thought you were young."

"Oh."

"Did you mean it?" He traced the rim of the cup, staring into the milky coffee as he did so. "I think you meant it. Isn't that why you were upset yesterday? Because I brushed you off?"

They sat in silence for a long while after. Edward stared out the window, his thoughts muddling up in his mind, mixing with the thoughts of a dozen others in the café. Maybe all he needed was some closure. That day had ended almost abruptly, like he had been jolted awake out of a dream. Maybe now was the time to end things properly. Time to say goodbye. Put their strange past behind them.

Harry examined Edward carefully. He looked troubled, unsure. This was such an unusual situation. Harry didn't quite know what to do or say. He hadn't taken Edward seriously back then. A lot of people claimed to love him. He was a bit jaded then and even more so ten years later. But now that he knew more about Edward, he was starting to question his earlier judgment. Because after a hundred years, a person wouldn't simply say things just for the sake of it. "Remember how shocked Hermione was when she saw you?" he murmured.

"Yes."

"She never believed me when I told her what you looked like."

Edward looked at him sharply. "Pardon?"

Harry met his gaze, tilting his head. "Hmm?"

"You told her about me?"

"It only seemed fair at the time. She's my best friend."

After a brief pause, Edward asked, "What did you tell her?"

Harry laughed. "Oh, wouldn't you like to know."


	7. Chapter 6

**6.**

Edward pressed the tips of his fingers against the edge of the table, examining his nails. "You know… I can't read Bella's thoughts," he confessed.

"Hmm."

"When I first met her, I was curious. She's a human. Normal. But I couldn't read her mind. And I was drawn to her scent." He recalled that day in school. "Every so often, vampires run into humans who are somewhat catered to their needs. And it's not often that these humans live to tell the story. But I…" He shook his head. "I've never met anyone like her. I've never met anyone I've wanted to be with until…" He trailed off. That's not true. He glanced up at Harry, suddenly feeling shy.

Harry was tearing off a piece of his muffin when he realized that Edward's silence had been dragging on for a few moments too long. So he looked up inquiringly. "Until Bella?" he asked.

Edward didn't say. "Usually vampires seek companionship amongst other vampires," he murmured. "When Carlisle found me, I was dying from the Spanish Influenza. My mother had made him promise to protect me. Keep me alive. It was the only way he knew how. And he craved friendship. Then he met Esme. She had had a hard life. He fell in love with her love." He folded his arms against his chest to quell the ache behind his ribs. "Carlisle hoped Rosalie could be my companion, but after she was turned… we both knew our relationship was nothing more than that of sibling compassion. Then she demanded that Emmett be turned because she had fallen in love at first sight after finding him badly injured in a forest. Alice and Jasper found each other after they had been turned. It was meant to be with those two."

"And you?" Harry asked.

"Bella is a mortal," Edward said. "She is not like the rest. She can get hurt. She will die. She doesn't want to grow old while I stay the same. She wants to become a vampire."

Harry was still trying to wrap his head around that concept. "But what about her family?" he wanted to know. "Her parents and friends. She is willing to leave her life behind for you?"

"Yes."

"Wow."

"I know. It's terrifying."

Harry really hoped the two of them would go for counseling before doing anything rash. He sipped on his coffee. Edward looked calmer now, like he had gotten a ton of burden off of his chest. Harry had been worried for a while there. "What did you think when you met me?" he asked glibly.

Edward shifted in his seat and looked away. He would rather not say. He hadn't been thinking much, to be honest. He had been swept away by the thrill of their chance encounter. He had hung onto every word Harry had said and taken every chance to experience the sudden pangs of electric pain against his skin. He would rather not say all that.

"Your sons," he said instead. "How old are they?"

"Of course you know about them," Harry appeared resigned. "Um, James is nearly five and Albus is two." He picked the raisins out of his muffin. "We're actually expecting again. Hoping for a girl this time. Boys are such a handful, you know?" He arranged the dried fruits in a neat pile. "Can you have children?"

"No."

"Do you mind?"

Edward hadn't thought about it. "I suppose I don't," he said truthfully. "I don't think I'd be a great father. Not like Carlisle."

Harry chuckled. "I used to think that." He pushed his coffee away and sat back. "Let's see… I have a godson. Teddy. His father and mother died when I was seventeen. I was definitely unprepared for that. But he's a great kid. If you're around great kids, you sort of become a good parent eventually." He shrugged. "That's what I think anyway."

"Your parents died when you were young."

He nodded. "But let's not talk about that." When it came to his parents, only his closest friends could get him talking. He decided to change the subject. "So you're still in school, aren't you?"

Edward smiled drily. "Yes. For the tenth time."

"Sour deal."

"I don't mind." He enjoyed living vicariously, what with all the teenage drama around him everyday. "When I'm bored I'll go onto another thing."

"A hundred years, huh?" Harry sighed. "I can't imagine…"

"It's nothing to imagine," Edward said. "It just happens. One day at a time. We try to romanticize it."

"What did you think? When you first heard about the whole immortality thing, what did you think?"

He couldn't remember. He had been in pain for what seemed like a thousand years. He had somehow known that he wouldn't be able to die as soon as he had woken up from his stupor. Carlisle never had to explain it to him. "I suppose… having Carlisle with me helped." But he had been angry. For a long while he had been angry with his wretched life. "It's hard to find a purpose in life when you know your time is practically unlimited. Carlisle went into medicine. He has a healing touch. Maybe I could try." He didn't really believe what he was saying though. "It's just… I'm still not used to blood. Not like Carlisle."

"What do you mean?"

"Er… It's too appetizing," he joked weakly.

"Oh." Harry ducked his head in embarrassment and laughed. "Of course. Sorry about that. I keep forgetting."

That's the thing. "That's why I approached you."

He looked up, tilting his head curiously. "Pardon?"

Edward took a breath to calm his nerves. "That's why I approached you. Because you keep forgetting." He watched Harry's expression. "I've never met a human that kept forgetting that I'm different."

"I don't follow you," Harry said as he sat up with interest and clasped his hands on the table.

"Maybe it was because you were so occupied with your own thoughts," Edward assumed. "You are always thinking about work. Even back then. You didn't think twice about how I sounded or looked or felt. You just… accepted it. Like you had seen it all."

Harry played with the napkin while shrugging modestly. "I _have_ seen it all," he mumbled.

"You knew I wasn't human?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Privacy and all that."

"I see."

"I never even imagined you would be a vampire though," Harry added.

"You wouldn't have slept with me if you knew I was a vampire?"

Harry groaned and hung his head. "Do you _have_ to say it like that?"

Edward smiled. "Sorry." He couldn't resist. He was tired of being the flustered one.

Why couldn't he have conversations like this with Bella? Yes, there was mystery and romance when they were together. It was always unexpected. But this… He liked this too. With Harry, conversation was easy and simple. There was nothing to hide or skew.

Why didn't Bella know about Harry? Why was this hidden from her?

Edward could see now. The reason was as easy and simple as this conversation.

He felt a sad stirring in his chest again. He didn't like this revelation. But he didn't hate it either. If this was love, then he couldn't hate the feeling.

"What?" Harry jerked his brows once. "Do I have something on me?" He brushed his shirt for crumbs.

"No." Edward glanced away. "Sorry." He knew what he had to do now. "Thanks for meeting with me, Harry." He hadn't blown it out of proportion after all. "I'll let you get back to work." He got up from his seat.

"I'll see you later?"

"Yes. Later."

* * *

Alice rested her head against the pillow and exhaled in contemplation. "Are you sure about this?" she asked her brother. "He has a family, you know?"

"It's not about that." Edward shuffled through CDs. He needed to do something. He was feeling much too antsy. "It's not about him."

"Then?"

"It's about how I feel around him."

"How do you feel?"

"Different from how I feel around Bella."

"And how do you feel around her?"

"It's not right." He tossed the CD cases aside and pressed his hands to his eyes. "It doesn't feel right. I love her, but it doesn't feel right."

"But the way you feel about him does?"

"Yes."

"Alright."

He rubbed his eyes. "Alright?" he mumbled tiredly. "What do you mean by that?"

"If that's how you feel, then alright."

"I just… I don't want to turn her, Alice."

"Hmm."

"I don't want to turn anyone for my sake." He squeezed his eyes shut. "It makes me sick to think that… No. I don't want that to happen. Bella's young. She has the world to see. I don't want to turn her before she's seen it. I know it's cowardly, but I don't want to be responsible for this decision."

"Then you should be talking to her, right? Not me." Alice closed her eyes and hummed to herself.

* * *

Two weeks of madness ensued. The shapeshifters and vampires were rapidly registered at the Ministry, followed by a mountain of paperwork that had to be filled out by both parties as well as thorough interviews conducted at their homes. Even the reluctant ones were required to participate, which proved to be a little difficult. Thankfully only forceful persuasion had been used.

Edward bore the brunt of most of this madness. While Bella was consolable, Jacob was not so forgiving. But his mind was elsewhere, so he did not fully grasp the gravity of his decision. Harry was in his home on most days, speaking with Carlisle about the Volturi and gathering as much information as possible. Edward looked forward to those meetings because, afterwards, he was able to spend precious few minutes with the Auror simply exchanging pleasantries.

"So you broke up with her, huh?" Harry said reluctantly. "Because of what I said?"

Edward nodded. "You were right. I can't turn her, not without asking her to give up her life."

"How is she?"

"Fine. She will be fine."

"Good. I'm glad."

Edward wondered what Harry was glad about. But he didn't ask. He would rather speculate.

Jasper was getting worried. "What are you doing, Edward?" he would ask his brother almost everyday after Harry left. "You are just getting your hopes up, aren't you? You know there's nothing you can do about this."

Edward would ignore him everyday. It didn't matter that he was getting his hopes up. In fact, in all his life, he hadn't felt this _hopeful_.

"How did you meet your wife?" he asked Harry.

"School." Harry smiled distantly. "I've known her for so long."

"Why don't you wear your wedding ring?"

He seemed to frown in confusion for a second before realizing what Edward had meant. "Oh," he chuckled as he looked down at his hand. "Um, I'm not used to rings." He brought his hand to his neck and pulled at a thin black chain. A plain silver ring hung at the end. "There. Happy?"

"Hmm."

It didn't matter that Harry was married. It didn't matter that this love was one-sided. What mattered were these feelings that Edward was discovering. What mattered was this magical world that had been opened up for him. A world where he didn't have to hide. A world where even the strangest creatures existed.

"Dragons?" he breathed.

"Oh yes." Harry's lips twisted into a grimace. "Not the friendliest of all animals. If you really want to see them, you should go up to Romania. My best friend's brother works with them. Way too temperamental, if you ask me."

"You've met dragons?"

"A little too close for comfort, actually…"

Edward yearned for more. He wanted to hold Harry again, feel his passionate kisses and hear his trembling breath. More than anything, he wanted to experience that day ten years ago all over again.

However…

"It's been a pleasure, Carlisle," Harry said with a sincere nod. "You are in capable hands."

"Thank you, Harry."

The Cullens were in the North American Ministry of Magic, situated in San Francisco, California. Since it was their first visit, there was much to see and hear. Rosalie and Emmett ogled the goblins and half-giants. Alice and Jasper were looking intently at the map that they had received at the entrance. Esme was speaking with Hermione about the Floo stations they were standing near. Carlisle was enthralled by the enormity of this place that had somehow stayed hidden under all the Muggle infrastructure for years and years. "This is simply remarkable," he said for the umpteenth time.

"Yes, I know." Harry swept his eyes over the bustling entrance of the Ministry of Magic. "There is a lot more to see, I assure you." He shifted the strap of his duffle bag against his shoulder. "If there is any more trouble…"

Carlisle nodded in understanding. "You have already done enough for us."

Esme and Hermione approached the two of them. "Well, we best be off, Harry," the latter said. "Don't want to keep them waiting."

"Yeah."

Esme hugged Harry goodbye. "It has been interesting meeting you, Mr. Potter."

"So I've heard."

"Please don't hesitate to give us a call if you are ever in the area," she added.

"Thank you for the offer," he accepted graciously.

He then glanced at Edward who had been sulking by the wall for the past few minutes. Alice sidled up to the Auror. "You should probably say bye to him," she urged gently.

"Yeah…" Harry stifled his sigh and walked up to the young vampire. Edward kept his eyes firmly on his shoes. Harry waited a moment before speaking. "What's wrong?"

Edward shook his head. Nothing was wrong.

"You'll miss me, huh?"

He hesitated, and then nodded.

"Do you know _why_ you'll miss me?"

He knew why. He nodded again.

"Look… I can only imagine what it is like to live a hundred years and watch people's lives pass you by," Harry said quietly. "But that's no reason for you to want to be like them. These people you see, their lives are short and fleeting. You have at least six lifetimes ahead of you. What are you rushing through it for?"

"What if I miss something?" Edward finally looked up at Harry. "Something important."

"You try again," Harry answered without pause. "You can always try again. You can get a second or a third or a fourth chance. Isn't that why you get to live forever? Isn't that incredible?" He looked Edward in the eye. "Don't hide anymore, okay? Love and care as much as you want. Get hurt. That's life. If you get six lives, you should love six times as much. It's not hard, Edward. It simply happens. Don't get scared, alright? You're doing just fine."

Edward felt like crying… He couldn't bear to look at Harry anymore. He dropped his gaze to his shoes again. It wasn't fair. If one love hurt like this, how could he be expected to love six times as much?

Harry smiled to himself. "Does that sound unfair?"

"Yes."

"Do you love me, Edward?"

"Yes…"

"Alright. Then wait."

Edward lifted his head in amazement. "Wait?" he echoed.

"Wait a lifetime."

"… Why?"

"Maybe you'll get over it."

"A lifetime?"

"Bye, Edward."

His tongue felt like lead, but he managed to say, "Goodbye," nonetheless. He clenched his fists as sadness rolled onto his chest.

Harry was right. If he was given the gift of immortality, why was he wasting it this way, worrying and fretting about things that would no doubt come naturally over the course of time? Unrequited love. Isn't that a recurring theme of life? Why should his life be any different?

He didn't say another word until those green flames had swallowed Harry.

Hermione landed on the hearth right after her friend. She shook the soot off of her hair frantically before reaching down to grab Harry by the arm and jerk him upright, away from his children who had swarmed him the moment he had set foot in the Burrow. "I thought you were going to tell him," she hissed into his ear.

He brushed her off with a short laugh. "Where's the fun in that?" He was forced down on his knees once again by his children who scowled at their aunt between kisses and hugs. He responded in kind.

"Glad to see him back in one piece," Ron said before pecking his wife on her lips. "Why is your face like that?" He poked her forehead in an attempt to smooth the irritated creases. "Makes you look old."

"Oh, shut up." She swatted at him.

"Psst," Harry whispered into James' ear. "Where's Mum?"

"She's sleepin'," James giggled. "Wanna wake her up?"

"Sounds like an awesome plan."


	8. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Gosh, that's quite inexpensive, isn't it?" Alice marveled the handmade necklace that she had managed to purchase for a handful of change from a screaming vendor. She got Jasper to put it on for her. "How do I look?" She smiled for her husband.

"Marvelous," he whispered into a kiss he stole from her.

Edward looked up when he heard the low rumble. Clouds sat threateningly across the sky as far as he could see. Rain was imminent. But this bustling marketplace seemed to think otherwise. Shopkeepers were yelling at customers to garner their attention. Vegetables and fruits lined the narrow, muddy paths, as did earthenware, clothes and toys. The smell of sweat and sugar hung thick in the air. Throngs of shoppers were moving in either direction, only a few with stern purpose while all others meandered. Rain or shine, he supposed.

"You should get something, Edward," Alice called out over the thousands of voices mingling in the congested bazaar. "A souvenir."

He examined the carvings on the rickety table. The vendor was still screaming at him, badgering him for money. He wouldn't mind parting with some. He was just about to pick up a wooden charm when thunder rumbled once again, this time louder than before. "It's going to rain," he murmured to himself. He glanced out. People were starting to surge forward now, finally accepting fate from the weather gods. Vendors fortunate enough to have plastic tarps started to pull them out from behind their chairs. Others started collecting their merchandise to stow them into damp cardboard boxes. He picked up the charm. He didn't bother bargaining when the sweaty lady yelled a price at him. He fished a bill out of his pocket and handed it to her.

Alice tugged at him as soon as the transaction was complete. "Let's go. It's going to be madness if we don't leave soon." She led the way out of the little corner shop.

Edward felt the first drops of rain against his cheek. It wasn't entirely unwelcome. It had been so clammy for the past two days. Some actual rain would do good. But the natives did not seem as fond of the weather. The crowd pushed forward with more ferocity, carrying people in waves towards the front and back gates that led out into main roads. At least there would be shelter there. Edward didn't fight the flow. He let himself get carried away. He got separated from his siblings, but he didn't worry.

He brushed his thumb against the wooden charm he had bought. It was round, about the size of a bottle cap. Black tendril-like curls were etched on one side while the other side lay smooth. It was very pretty.

He slid the charm into his pocket.

Like the crack of a whip, pain slashed the back of his hand, sending him stumbling with a frightened gasp. "Oh."

* * *

"_Maybe you'll get over it."_

* * *

His black hair was plastered against his face and neck from sweat. His sharp green eyes were as striking as before, standing out against his deeply tanned skin.

The crowd surged on.

Edward was pushed forward, away from Harry. "Ah, no…" He struggled to find a way out of the throng of people. But it was raining hard. He wasn't able to force through. It was suddenly stifling in there. Suffocating. He glanced over his shoulder desperately.

Harry was laughing.

Even as he was jostled and wrestled through the mud, he was looking back at Edward with a hand raised in a wave and a crinkled smile of amusement and disbelief at his lips.

Has it been a lifetime already?

"I'll wait," he shouted over the din. "I'll wait down there." He pointed at the main gate.

Edward felt relief rushing at him and he stopped fighting the crowd. Harry would wait. Of course he would wait.

A lifetime, wasn't it?

Alice flicked her eyes at Jasper with a sly smirk. He simply sighed, mumbling, "Not again…"


End file.
